How Prince Harry and Princess Victoria Are Making Honesty the New Royal Policy

The opening line of the Real World—“Find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real”—is meant for an unruly group of twentysomethings packed into overpriced lofts in San Francisco and New York. But now, it may also apply to the young royals in palaces across Europe.

In an unprecedented shift, these modern monarchs are pivoting from polished and poised personas to, well, “real” ones. They admit shortcomings, struggles, and secrets instead of sweeping them under centuries-old rugs. They speak openly in press interviews. They show emotion in public. And who is leading this candid charge? None other than Prince Harry and Crown Princess Victoria, two of the most visible and well-known aristocrats today.

Lately, Prince Harry’s been an open book about Princess Diana’s death, detailing everything from his anxiety struggles to his decision to seek counseling. He’s also been critical of the way his mother’s passing was handled: “I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television . . . I don’t think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances,” he told Newsweek.

Perhaps Harry got his forthright demeanor from his mother: In 1995, she gave an unprecedented (and unsanctioned) interview about her divorce and battle with bulimia to the BBC. But Harry is going beyond just talking about his grief. He’s using it to start a national discussion. More than a year ago, the prince helped launched Heads Together, a campaign aimed at ending the very mental health stigmas he once experienced. And no, this isn’t a one-and-done announcement: Prince Harry continued his crusade last week with a passionate speech in Leeds.

Crown Princess Victoria is also following suit. The heir to the Swedish throne recently opened up about her dyslexia in a television interview, saying, “I used to think I was stupid and slow.” This comes right on the heels of a May documentary where the princess detailed her struggle with anorexia as a teenager. “I went through a tough time,” she said. “I needed time to sort things out and get my balance back again. I needed to get to know myself, discover where my limits were, not constantly push myself too much.” With encouragement from her parents, the royal admitted, she took time off from university and flew to the in the United States, far away from the spotlight.

It used to be that we needed our royals to be stoic and composed, the safe port in stormy times of trouble. But as we enter a new age—of Instagram, of Facetune, of faked perfection—maybe we don’t need the “keep calm and carry on” royals anymore. Maybe we need the royals like Harry and Victoria, who, despite the titles and the castles and the crowns, are imperfect and unfiltered.